


Friends with benefits

by The_Magic_Lava_Lamp



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 22:25:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16049801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Magic_Lava_Lamp/pseuds/The_Magic_Lava_Lamp
Summary: Talking about Mrs. Piggy and Kermit The Frog leads to a much more serious discussion that Richie didn’t anticipate.(In other words, the boys are oblivious)





	Friends with benefits

Eddie held out his frozen hands so Richie could play with them. He went from slapping his own hands against them, gripping them and swaying their clasped grip, or just toying with his fingers.

Eddie sniffled, trying to re-position his coat by shrugging his shoulders. Richie finished his round of one sided patty cake with an eager slap and grinned. Eddie didn’t feel the need to speak, just allowing Richie to move his hands to his cheeks. But it was much more than just going through the motions, somehow every touch from him still tingled under Eddie’s skin. Just like when he was a child and he had sat on his legs for far too long and tried to stand, only to get that slight numbness that turned into tickling. The first time it happened to him, his toddler self told his mother his leg was numb and boy had that been a mistake. Eddie spent that entire night in the emergency area of the hospital, Sonia trailing after the doctors with rushed annoyed words. 

Eddie puffed his cheeks with a passive aggressive smile at the memory. Richie pulled back, furrowing his brows. “What?” 

Eddie shook his head and raised his hand, waving it. “Nothing, just thinking.” He shrugged and Richie shrugged back and threw his arm around the smaller boys shoulders. He turned them forward so they could stare straight forward at Bill’s front door. Richie raised his wrist to his face, hovering it close to his coke bottle glasses. 

“Five minutes.” He grumbled. Eddie raised his brow, looking up from the corners of his eyes. 

“That’s how long we’ve been standing out here?” 

Richie rolled his eyes. “No, that’s my Rubix’s cube record…..duh, that’s how long we’ve been out here.” Eddie elbowed him hard in the gut with a small grin. Richie hunched forward and chuckled. As his laughter faded, a silence clouded over. Which usually wouldn’t be a big deal but this time, it was awkward. And both boys could feel it but did nothing about it. 

Just about three weeks ago in the very same spot, hands that were very much frozen at the moment had been knotting through Richie’s hair as the taller boy peppered small kisses on Eddie’s face. And the following days, they’d both done their best to avoid talking about it but that did not stop either of them from doing it again. In fact, it was sort of nice…having a best friend you could make out with on the occasion. But neither of them brought it out into the open, there was no discussion of it. And Eddie was not going to be the one who brought it up.

He tapped the tip of his pristine sneaker over a hollow covering of ice over a hole in Bill’s driveway. It broke, creating thirty different hairline cracks. He tilted his head to the side and pushed his shoe down again until it completely shattered. Richie’s head shot up, eyebrows furrowed. But before he could make some sort of joke, Bill finally came out of his home with a loud slam of the door. 

“Ready?” He asked with a huge grin. Eddie nodded, already walking away. 

“Yeah, let’s go.” He threw the answer over his shoulder, hands shoved into his pockets. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“-All I’m saying is that Mrs. Piggy is independent and does not need Kermit, ok?” Beverly slapped her hand against her palm and leaned back on the couch, satisfied with the point she’d made. The seven of them engrossed in a conversation more suited to the thirteen year olds they used to be rather than the eighteen year olds currently sat around Stan’s living room. 

“That may be true but they were obviously written to end up together.” Stan twitched his eyebrow and threw a piece of popcorn into his mouth. 

“C-c-can’t argue that, Bev.” Bill added and she shook her head.

“Wow, pulling out the childish TV show’s true intentions. I’m shaking.” She rolled her eyes and Ben burst into laughter. 

“It is a TV show made for children, Bev. I think that it’s safe to say that they’re going to be together.” Ben poked her shoulder and she shoved him off with a playful grin. 

“I’m rooting for them.” Eddie chuckled with a small grin, biting down on a piece of popcorn. Beverly shot him a grin. 

“I know that. I’m just saying she’s a strong character that doesn’t need that story line” She shrugs and pushes the popcorn bowl to the middle of the circle, Richie sits back down and reaches into it. He scrapes his fingers along the sides of the bowl and sucks the butter off his fingers. Stan and Eddie watch in disgust. 

“Why are we discussing a pig and frogs sex life?” Richie chuckled and Mike rolled his eyes. 

“We’re not talking about their sex life, you child. Just if they’re meant to be.” Mike smiled and scooted closer. Richie sat back on his hands and laughed. 

“There were like six wedding attempts by Miss Piggy on that show.” Stan piped back in. “She’s pretty smitten with that frog.” He shrugged and Beverly nodded. 

“Yeah but she doesn’t take his bullshit. She knows he ain’t shit without her.” She stuck out her tongue. 

“He has a pretty successful career as a manager of that theater house, doesn’t he?” Richie asked with a smug grin. Bev throws a fistful of popcorn at him. “Ah! Ok, ok I’m not denying Mrs. Piggy’s independence. I personally think they’re destined to be nothing more than friends with benefits.” He shrugs. 

Eddie’s head snaps up with interest, not that Richie noticed. 

“Every time they try to do anything more, it flops. Plus, why ruin a good thing?” Richie wiggles his eyebrows and Mike smacks the back of his head. Eddie however scowls. He rolls his eyes and abruptly stands. 

“I’m going to the bathroom.” He makes an excuse and leaves in a huff. 

“How did you p-p-piss him off when we were talking about the Muppets?” Bill chuckles, knowing full well that Richie had a talent for that. Richie was still looking over his shoulder at the path Eddie had taken. 

He retraced exactly what the last few things he’d said were and widened his eyes. “Shit. I’ll be right back.” He scampers up from Stan’s white carpet and shuffles after Eddie. The others move on to another topic. 

Richie can’t believe his own obliviousness sometimes. He thumped his fist on the bathroom door a few times and waited. 

“I’m almost done.” Came Eddie’s annoyed voice. 

“Eds, It’s me. Open up.” Richie knocked again. He expected more of a fight but the door flung open to reveal a very confused looking Eddie. 

“Don’t call me that, Dick.” He said with his usual Eddie flare. Richie grinned and leaned on the doorway. 

“I didn’t think my Muppet talk would be taken so seriously.” He joked, tongue poking out of the side of his mouth. Eddie pursed his lips and shrugged. He scratched behind his ear and looked over Richie’s head, suddenly interested in the tiles. 

“Listen Eds-”

“Look, It’s fine. I didn’t mean to be so fussy about it. We don’t have to talk about it.” Eddie waved his hands around, Richie followed every movement with a thoughtful expression. 

“I think maybe we do.” He tilted his head to the side and poked Eddie’s shoulder. “I didn’t bring it up before cause…huh- well cause I was a chicken, ok?”

Eddie just looked more confused. 

“Things were going really well and I was afraid that if I brought it up or suggested we labeled it, you might want to stop…I didn’t think it was bothering you this much.” Richie stopped making eye contact, looking awkwardly at his hands. 

Eddie chuckled and his head snapped up. 

“Ohhh God, we’re dumb.” Eddie continued to laugh. 

“Let a guy in on the joke, Eds.” Richie frowned. 

“I didn’t say anything cause I thought you’d pull away.” He shrugged and Richie rolled his eyes, leaning back again. 

“We are dumb.” he agreed. They laughed for a few more seconds before Richie rubbed the palm of his hand on the back of his neck. “So…what now?” 

Eddie bit his lip. “I would think dating is the next logical step.” He teased with a shit eating grin on his face. Richie laughed, before rubbing his chin in fake thought.

“Interesting idea. Let me think it over..” He went silent for no more than five seconds. “I have thought it over and the answer is yes!” 

Eddie rolled his eyes and made a move to exit the bathroom. Richie trailed after him with a large grin. 

As they sat back down, everyone turned their attention to them. Richie winked.

“I’ve decided there is hope for Piggy and Kermit after all.” He smirked, throwing his arm over Eddie’s shoulders as he so often did.


End file.
